The Ohio Department of Education awarded Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center a four-year Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant of $1,050,000 to build state-wide models of evidence based practices in literacy for students in Kindergarten – 5th grade at Mansfield City Schools’ Springmill STEM Elementary and Plymouth-Shiloh Elementary. The model sites will concentrate on implementing practices consistent with Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement, a guidance document from the Ohio Department of Education. Throughout the four-year grant cycle, Mid-Ohio is collaborating with the Department and State Support Team 7.  

The grant’s goals are based on two fundamental needs: building a school-wide reading model, and instituting grade-level and individual professional development for teachers and administrators founded on the components of the Science of Reading. The work provides for partnerships and collaboration of general and special education practitioners working collectively together to support all learners.

This school year, the CLSD grant Coaches provided thirty-three different training opportunities to support educators’ capacity to provide high-quality instructional literacy plans for all learners, focused on four areas of instructional practice.  The Heggerty curriculum teaches students phonemic awareness, the ability to focus on and manipulate sounds in spoken words.  Teachers also are learning to use orthographic mapping, the linking of sounds to letters and attaching them to meaning to allow “mapping” them to memory. 

In addition, educators at the model sites are using the Acadience Reading Assessment to analyze student data and follow decision-making rules to plan next steps for student growth. To assist struggling readers, the teachers are implementing evidence-based interventions from the CORE Reading Sourcebook.  Using these curricular pieces, along with additional professional development, will assist in building a school-wide reading model to sustain the gains in student achievement.

Regina Sackman, principal at Springmill STEM, noted that they have already seen results in her building. “The resources and teacher professional development provided by the CLSD grant have positively impacted student learning. Many teachers have already seen improvement in student reading and writing as a result of the implementation of the Heggerty phonemic awareness program. We are looking forward to continuing improvements as we continue the work of improving student learning through this grant.” 

During the 2021 – 2022 school year, the CLSD Coaches will expand their work by connecting with and empowering families and community partners to support the CLSD grant’s literacy initiatives for student growth and achievement. Lisa Cook, the CLSD Director and Literacy Coach, shared her enthusiasm, “I am very excited to lead the work of the CLSD grant.  Our vision is to improve outcomes for all learners, thus helping more students master essential reading foundations by reducing the barriers for literacy acquisition. By supporting the buildings’ infrastructures and decision rules as part of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports process, we can prepare all learners to be culturally responsive citizens in their path to college or careers and help to fulfill Ohio’s promise of Each Child, Our Future!”

Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center will be hosting Crisis Prevention Institute, or CPI, training. The initial CPI course will be held May 19th from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., while the refresher CPI training will be held May 13th from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. These are in-person training sessions that will be held at the Mid-Ohio Conference Center, 890 W. 4th Street in Mansfield.

The program is a safe, non-harmful behavior management system designed to help human service professionals provide the best possible Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security of disruptive, assaultive, and out-of-control individuals even during their most violent moments.

Participants in the initial training should wear comfortable clothing and closed toed shoes. During the physical interactions, participants will wash hands, wear nitrile gloves, and remain with the same partner(s) through the duration of the training. You must adhere to COVID-19 guidelines attesting to your wellness, having your temperature checked and wearing a mask. Personal Protective Equipment will be available. In addition to successfully demonstrating the application of physical intervention skills, individuals will be required to pass a post-test prior to being certified. For the initial training, registration is limited to 10 participants for safety. 

Physical holds are not practiced by participants in the refresher course but rather reviewed visually through demonstrations by the instructor. Registration for the refresher course is limited to 40 participants, and everyone must follow the same COVID-19 guidelines attesting to your wellness, having your temperature checked and wearing a mask.

Interested participants may sign up at MOESC website, www.moesc.net/register. Client/Member cost for any of the courses is $60.00, while non-client cost is $75.00. Anyone with questions about the training may contact Wendy Harvey at events@moesc.net.
 

Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center, in partnership with Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, SPARC Talent Development, and Richland County Job and Family Services, will be hosting a job fair for high school and college students on May 6th from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center, 890 W. Fourth Street in Mansfield.  

Students will find internships, seasonal or summer work, part time, and long term/full time career options. This Job Fair is an opportunity for students to discover what is available to them in Richland County. There will be a wide range of industries represented - from healthcare to construction.

Clint Knight, the Director of Workforce Development at the Richland Area Chamber, said it is important for young people to identify their career and skills interests early, so that they can begin to focus their path. “By getting students into the job market early, they can touch, see, and experience work - and realize that there are necessary skills which make you and your employer successful. Many of those "hard skills" can be learned prior to graduating high school - and that only sets them up for earlier success. It is our responsibility as parents, educators, and employers to help young people learn what they don't want to do - just as much as it is to help them learn what they do want to do. The earlier we help students realize those interests - the better it is for everyone involved.” 

Knight said, in planning the event, employer participation has far exceeded his expectations with the event reaching capacity and there are a number of companies on a waiting list. Among the dozens of employers, students will also find opportunities with the Youth and Family Council for their Summer Work program.

He said his expectations for student participation are also high. “My hope is that we see between 250-300 students walk through the doors on May 6th - the opportunities are certainly there. I expect to see over 100 young people achieve some level of employment from this event, and just getting face time with some of these employers could help give a young person a better sense of direction.”

Mid-Ohio ESC Superintendent Kevin D. Kimmel expressed his appreciation to the Chamber and employers for collaborating with Mid-Ohio to make this event possible. “There really is nothing like work experience for a young person. It’s encouraging to see so many employers ready to hire young people and give them their first chances in the workforce.”

Reading,  Spelling and Writing Difficulties?

Having to Read Textbooks to your Child?

Spending Hours Every Night on Homework?

Panel of Experts Discussion

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 at 6:30pm

Location:

Mid-Ohio Conference Center

890 West Fourth Street

Mansfield, Ohio 44906

Cost:

Free (pizza and drinks provided)

Registration: 

Contact Lindsey at 419-774-5520 ext 2018 or Cindy at 419-774-5520 ext 2028

Click here for the flyer

Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center, in partnership with North Central State College and Pioneer CTC, has been awarded a FAFSA21 Funding Opportunities Grant through the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) as part of the allocation of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Funds provided to the state from the US Department of Education as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act ("CARES Act"). The award shall be used to support activities related to completing the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) for Ohio high school students.

The award is available for allowable expenses incurred between April 5, 2021 and August 31, 2021 for activities that support those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, be in support of the FAFSA completion initiative, and support, but not supplant, existing FAFSA activities. Expenses will be reimbursed by ODHE after requests are submitted via the Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Portal (CCIP).  Expenditure and performance reports will be required. Awardees may request to rollover unused funds past August 31 with permission from the ODHE. All funds must be finally obligated by June 30, 2022 and liquidated by September 30, 2022. Mid-Ohio ESC will serve as the fiscal agent for this grant.
 
The grant includes the hiring of a part-time College Access Coordinator that will coordinate the FAFSA completion efforts with the College Access Coaches, SPARC/Pioneer Career Coaches, and the high school guidance counselors. Retired NCSC advisor Jim Phinney will be serving as the College Access Coordinator for the grant and will serve as the point person. Along with Phinney, Sherri Tinch-Greter from the Crawford Partnership will be serving as the Co-Coordinator for the grant. In addition to the College Access Coordinators, the following College Access Coaches will be supporting the grant as well: Richard Beans, Scott Campo, David Carter, and Pamela Stimpert.
 
The following districts have agreed to participate in this grant: Crestview Local, Clear Fork Valley Local, Colonel Crawford Local, Crestline Exempted Village, Galion City, GOAL Digital Academy, Lexington Local, Lucas Local, Northmor Local, Pioneer CTC, Plymouth-Shiloh Local, and Willard City.
 
“Filling out the FAFSA is the most important step in securing money to pay for college,” said Mid-Ohio ESC Superintendent Kevin D. Kimmel. “Having these grant resources to help students, especially those graduating this year, will be a great benefit to them in helping them continue their education.”

The Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center Board of Governors held their monthly meeting on April 21st. Among regular business, Lynn Meister, Director of Teaching and Learning, presented to the Board a briefing on her department. 

Meister oversees and provides support for the Teaching and Learning Department, the Gifted Department, the Striving Readers Grant (a four-year project ending this year), the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant (a four-year project ending in 2024), as well as district service in a number of areas and other Mid-Ohio projects. “It’s a privilege to work at Mid-Ohio ESC and serve with the talented personnel in each department,” said Meister. “Their expertise and commitment to the work is exceptional, and the work being done has truly made a difference for our client districts’ teachers, administrators, students, and parents.”

The Teaching and Learning Team provides customized service to districts in support of their school improvement efforts. Based on district goals and data analysis, the team’s experts provide “boots on the ground” high-quality professional development and ongoing support to raise teachers’ ability to implement an aligned curriculum with evidence-based practices. Designed to be timely and useful, the professional development has immediate application to the classroom. 
   
Meister noted that areas of service include K – 12 Language Arts, K – 12 Mathematics, High-Quality Student Data, and many other topics as requested.  All Teaching and Learning assistance is based on Ohio’s Learning Standards, the Science of Reading for ELA, and reflects ODE’s initiatives to ensure alignment to current laws and proven practices. She said the team is currently scheduling district services for the 2021 – 2022 school year.

Meister provided an update to the Board about each of the grants. She said the Striving Readers Grant, under the direction of Dena Kirby, has provided hundreds of professional books and teaching resources, as well as professional learning opportunities for teachers and administrators at Plymouth-Shiloh Local, Highland Local, and Buckeye Central, the participating districts. The Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant focuses on creating model literacy sites throughout Ohio – Mid-Ohio ESC is using the grant money to create sites at Plymouth-Shiloh Elementary School and Mansfield City’s Springmill STEM Elementary School.

During Meister’s presentation, Gifted Consultants Leanna Ferreira, Colleen Haynes, Leah Barger, Sherri Richter, and Jennifer Pennell were recognized for their outstanding work for Mid-Ohio’s districts. The Gifted Department has provided expert, personalized support to their districts, offering a wide variety of services to students, teachers, administrators, and parents, including creating and hosting numerous student events such as Academic Challenge, Spelling Bees, and Artapolooza. Meister praised their work in offering exceptional professional development in the area of gifted education through Google Classrooms, book studies, and district-level sessions, as well as assisting with testing to identify gifted students and support districts in serving identified students according to Ohio’s laws and ODE guidelines.

In response, the Board presented each of the Gifted Consultants a certificate of commendation recognizing them for their exemplary service and meeting the needs of the gifted and talented students in Mid-Ohio’s districts.

The Striving Readers Grant is in a no-cost extension final year. The focus has been on serving the greatest numbers of students living in poverty, students with disabilities, English learners and students identified as having a reading disability. Continued challenges in the remaining consortium districts due to COVID-19 have resulted in the transition from a planned face-to-face Kindergarten Boot Camp to a Virtual Kindergarten Boot Camp.

Local kindergarten educators will work to provide the content of up to 30 specific guided family activities, which will focus on Ohio’s learning standards and outcomes to guide parents and/or caregivers through literacy-rich activities. These activities will have an emphasis on integrated phonemic awareness and other literacy initiatives that have been a part of the past three years of Striving Readers implementation.

Incoming kindergarten students will receive access to these activities as well as a backpack kit that will include printed trade books and educational resources, such as manipulatives for literacy learning and flash cards to support the Heggerty phonemic awareness system districts are using. Activity backpacks will be distributed in various ways in the districts.

Parent materials that support these guided family activities will be available both virtually and on a Google Site, as well as in an abbreviated print form.

The repository of activities will allow for both pre-kindergarten work and during kindergarten reinforcement to ensure that the developed activities become a part of the way districts educate in the future as they continue to guard against the COVID slide in achievement.
 

Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center, in collaboration with Mansfield City Schools, will be holding a 6-week training and certification for Registered Behavior Technicians, starting June 7th. Ang Fetter and Dr. Dahni Reynolds, BCBA, from Mansfield City Schools will be facilitating the training.

Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) is one of the credentials extended by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board to paraprofessionals who execute interventions for promoting socially acceptable behaviors. RBTs are taught the basics of applied behavior analysis to support developmentally disabled individuals, but they must function under the supervision of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). An RBT can also conduct Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBA) and assist with Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) processes (relative to behavior).

Participants will complete 40-hours self-paced online training. They will also take part in one-hour virtual study group weekly for 6-weeks. They must complete a competency assessment, and a four-hour RBT Exam Practice Test before taking the RBT Board Exam. For an extra $35, participants can get credentialed through the Behavior Analysis Certification Board.

Interested people must be at least 18 years of age, pass a background check (paid for by the participant), and have a high school diploma. Registration is limited to 20 participants and ends on April 15th. The cost for individuals from client districts is $500 for the course and $600 for those from non-client districts. Registration is available at www.moesc.net/register. Anyone with questions about the program should contact Jennifer Crum at crum.jennifer@moesc.net.

Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center is excited to announce Intermediate Level Technology training and support for educators. These online classes are designed to assist teachers and administrators in designing highly engaging lessons for students in traditional, blended, hybrid, or remote classrooms.  
 
The new technology training series, “Guide to a Successful Google Classroom, Intermediate Level,” is available for elementary and secondary teachers. The goal is to help teachers engage students more deeply by using and creating content with a wide variety of technology tools. 
 
The classrooms have a wide variety of materials, activities, and resources for teachers to design successful lessons for their students. The secondary series includes 24 different topics containing more than 55 detailed lesson plans with differentiation suggestions to meet the needs of all learners. The “How-To” section includes many connections to help teachers recreate the lessons. Videos and websites are included to support the lessons and provide help for students working online. They also explain how to engage students in the content. 
 
The Intermediate Level Series provides educators with beyond-the-basics content written exclusively for Mid-Ohio ESC districts. The lessons differ from the elementary series by including more Google Apps and more in-depth ways to use advanced options to continue challenging all students. Each topic lesson includes a detailed description, research or interactive websites, videos, Google Slides with step-by-step directions, and several lessons created as a Hyperdoc, Google document, or slide presentation. Highlights of the detailed series include the Travel the World by Google Earth project, NASA Robots, and Ocean Pollution. 
 
The beginner’s level was released in the Fall of 2020. Now Mid-Ohio ESC is releasing the new leveled classrooms using Google Maps, Earth, Drawings, Slides, Docs, Sheets, Sites, Forms, Jamboard, Code, and Audacity. Teachers will have access to both elementary and secondary levels to explore all the lessons.  
 
Michelle Vance, the creator of the technology classrooms, noted, “It is such a pleasure to create a training series to help teachers with new lessons and ideas, and provide resources to immediately use in the classroom with all learners. Teachers work hard to create lessons using technology, and I enjoy helping them!” 
 
Interested educators from member districts are welcome to access the technology classrooms, whether beginner and intermediate levels, by visiting Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center’s website at www.moesc.net and selecting the Teaching and Learning tab.

According to data compiled by Mental Health America, youth mental health is worsening. Over 9% of youth, or more than 2.2 million youth, cope with severe major depression, and about 13% of youth ages 12 to 17 report suffering from at least one major depressive episode in the past year.

Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center wants to equip educators with the tools necessary to identify and assist young people with mental health issues. Registration is now open for a virtual training on Youth Mental Health First Aid. It will take place April 30th from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The training will focus on common signs and symptoms of mental illnesses in transition aged youth ages 12 to 21 including:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Eating Disorders
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)  

Also discussed will be common signs and symptoms of substance abuse. Tips will be given on how to interact with an adolescent in crisis, and how to connect the adolescent with help.

Participants must sign up before March 30th because there are 1.5 hours of self-paced pre-study required to be completed at least two days prior to the formal training date. For this virtual training, audio and video technology are required, and the class is limited to 20 members. The cost is free and interested educators can register at www.moesc.net/register.